New Week 2000

Hello Zone Base readers! Welcome back for another week of robots, monsters, and misadventure! I hope everyone had a great weekend, I sure did! I enjoyed a low key weekend with the Mrs, enjoyed her great cooking, watched Stranger Things with her and Mom, worked on more Halloween backdrops for toy pics here on the site, and played Donkey Kong Bananza! Once again my Walmart didn't have any new toys, but I ordered Cyberworld Bumblebee and Snarl! Bumblebee will be here later this week, but Snarl won't arrive until a little later. I have no clue why he's the harder of the initial batch of Cyberworld toys to get, but I happily got one for standard retail.

My most recent Blokees order came in Sunday and the Mrs and I had fun opening the boxes and checking the trading card to see who as inside! I've got 2 cases of Galaxy Version Defender kits to start work on soon. I'll probably order another soon as well, I really love the Defender type kits and feel like they're perfect for site content. In a conversation on Blokees Facebook page, another poster suggested they do Battle Beasts in the Defender range. What a great idea! Part of me majorly prefers things like Blokees and Yolopark kits these days to traditional Transformers toys. I spent years of my youth painting miniatures and building models and Zoids. I guess these just vibe with that part of my brain. 

Speaking of vibing with my brain, both SCCC and Wonderfest Summer was this weekend. I definitely enjoyed the new toy reveals at SDCC. Transformers, Masters of The Universe, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Godzilla, and others made a great showing with tons of exciting new releases in store. While I appreciate that, I won't lie, it feels like another official reveal like these companies do all year. It's exciting, for sure, but what really gets my heart going is the pictures from Wonderfest. I spent hours this weekend looking them over and wishing I were there. 

Well, I've got a fun week in store for you all. This is the prelude before Pumpkin Spiced Mayhem starts next week! I'm so excited that I swapped the site over to fall colors last week! It's good to freshen things up occasionally and with the 100+ degree heat I'm having...  the cooler temperatures of fall feels forever away. It's about to get extra spooky around Planet Zone for the next 3 months and I'm excited! Well, thank you all for reading Zone Base. Your support means so very much to me. This isn't one of those corporate sites that just want your money and you all are real ones for just wanting to enjoy our hobbies. Please be sure to share the site with your friends and Mutual High Fives everyone!

Scrambled New Week

Hello Zone Base readers, thank you all for coming back for another week of robots, monsters, and misadventure! I hope everyone had a great weekend, mine sure felt like a holiday break. Saturday the Mrs and did our weekend shopping which included a visit to At Home to look at whatever new Halloween stuff they had stocked. There was quite a bit with room for more to come! It's quite exhilarating and even refreshing to see it out in the middle of summer. Here in the American South, it gets very hot in the summer. We'll be having 100 degree days from now until September, so a reminder that fall is coming is nice. We picked up a few items and a little more at TJ Max whom also starts early. We had a delivery from Target who begins their Halloween stocking online in summer. This would be our second shipment this summer and they're looking to have a great selection this year. The neon colors are returning alongside their trademark cozy offerings. Of course Lewis has more cool merchandise as well. We're fans of him in our household and can't get enough! 

We picked up Donkey Kong Bananza Saturday as well. What a great game. Action platformer games are my favorite video games to play and this is one for the record books. It's open world with a ton of collectibles to search for with a great setting and story. Add in tight controls and pure fun. It's just so much fun! You can literally spend hours not doing anything important and still feel satisfied with doing so! Walmart didn't have any new toys still, which is getting pretty frustrating. I have a few more Turtles of Grayskull figures to get and it'd be great to find new Transformers on shelves. I love Transformers One, but seeing the same stock for a year now is exhausting. Fortunately my Cyberworld order came in during the week and another Blokees order was made this weekend.

Cyberworld is providing to be a great line that's going to be fun to cover here on the site. While I talked about Grimlock in June, it's going to be great to show the main figures. So far I have Optimus Prime, Megatron, Skybite, and Galvatron. Bumblebee and Snarl have been tricky to find at the moment, though I'm sure will be easier in the coming days as stores stock the toys. They're online at some retailers for a much higher price than Walmart and Amazon. Of course sites with related ads won't tell you that! These figures are essentially sized up Legends/Legion class figures with the higher priced ones coming with large weapons. Simplicity being their nature, you shouldn't pay too much. Don't let the basics fool you though, they're a lot of fun. My look at them will start next week, remember, I'm generally a week or two ahead on scheduling content.

After some sleep Saturday afternoon, I woke up that evening (at that point I'd been awake for 24 hours) to enjoy some good food and TV with the Mrs. She made me french bread pizza which was great! It's worth nothing the entirety of my food Saturday was some sort of pizza breads. Lunch was pizza bites from Wetzel's Pretzels and a boba. Dinner later that evening was some delicious home made french bread pizza. The Mrs feel asleep on the couch, in which I enjoyed some videos on YouTube before the power suddenly shutting off. We had a blackout! Fortunately the Switch 2 had a full charge to entertain in portable mode untill the power came back on. Well that and a nice nap. When the power came back with some much appreciated air conditioning (it's still at least 80 degrees at night) the Mrs went back to sleep while I watched those videos. I spent most of the night enjoying the Retro Kids channel. His content includes assembling and customizing vintage models kits mostly with other fun stuff as well. I greatly enjoyed one with trip to a recent model show in Japan. It sure was cool seeing all that mecha! Between his content and Donkey Kong... somehow I didn't get any more sleep after that blackout nap. It was dawn before I knew it and the magic of a Saturday that felt like a weekend upon itself was over. 

Sunday was spent with a wonderful breakfast made by the Mrs, more Donkey Kong, a nap around noon, and several episodes of Stranger Things with Mom ordering us dinner! I had some wonderful sushi and ice cream as we enjoyed the first half of season 3. Our rewatch of the series is chugging along and Mom is hooked even more than I realized. She literally called me after getting back home that evening to ask me about it! I then spent some time working on spooky backdrops for this years Halloween time content and... more Donkey Kong. It's really that good!

Well, I've got a fun week in store for you! Pumpkin Spiced Mayhem starts in 2 weeks and I've got my hands full getting everything in place. For those who haven't experienced a Zone Base Halloween yet, it's a mixture of Halloween and regular content with a little extra spooky flair! It's a ton of fun, a ton of posts, and a ton of Pumpkin Spiced Mayhem for 3 months. It's our Superbowl, our Wrestlemania, our big event of the year... without one cent asked from you readers. Zone Base is about having fun with our hobbies from the bottom of our heart, not your wallets. All I ask is that you share the site with your friends. Well, I'm going to enjoy the rest of this strawberry acai refresher before getting to work on some household chores. Thank you all for reading Zone Base. We have fun here and that we includes each and every one of you. Mutual High Fives everyone!

Monday Rises

Holy Start of the week Zone Base readers! It's Monday again and time for more robots, monsters, and misadventure! I hope you all had a great weekend, I sure did! I actually had a long weekend as Friday was the 4th of July and led to a 3 day weekend and a much needed break. I've enjoyed the 4th of July since childhood as it's always meant a cook out and shooting fireworks. Summer may be miserably hot here in the American South, but there's still fun to be had. We had a family cook out at my Mother's house. It was good to spend some time with my brother and shoot fireworks with him after some great food. On the way back home that evening, my entire neighborhood was in the streets shooting fireworks as well. It's fun anarchy that I love taking place in.

Saturday the Mrs and I did some weekly shopping which included a trip to the jewelry store to get her jewelry inspected as needed every 6 months for their lifetime warranty. While there, the Mrs did some shopping and I suprised her with a new piece from the jewelry store. It was our wedding anniversary week and I wanted to get her something special. I didn't find any new toys while out Saturday, but an early trip to Target Friday morning did result in some great deals! I got Studio Series B-127 finally, but on clearance for $12! Ironically that's what he would have cost in 2012! I also finally picked up the Grizzlor and Hordak 2 pack on clearance for $14! This is a cool MOTU Origins set based on concept art that looks quite different than the characters we're used to. I thankfully also found Megatronus from Age of the Primes. Unfortunately he was full priced... which is a little higher at Target now. 

Target also had a newer blind box Godzilla series featuring well sculpted mini figures of Godzilla and company in capsules that resembles buildings. It's a Bandai product, so you know it's quality! The chase figure is a glow in the dark Godzilla, so that gives me an excuse to buy more! I had gotten a Showa MechaGodzilla in mine and he needs someone to battle! While Walmart didn't have much of anything (other than leftover TF One stock), I'm anticipating Cyberworld to show up soon. It starting to appear in stores and the show debuts July 12th. I'm very excited for this series and can't wait to cover them here. It's a combination of Transformers legend/ legion class (in a bigger size) with the play patterns found in Microman and Action Masters. Super fun! 

The rest of the weekend was spent at home enjoying some rest and relaxation. The Mrs and I opened some Blokees that came in during the week, played Mario Kart World, and enjoyed a spaghetti dinner Sunday night. Mom came as usual and our rewatch of Stranger Things is going well. We're 3/4ths into season 2 and Mom is hooked! She literally can't wait to see it each week, while I'm happily enjoying one of my favorite shows. It'll be good to see the new season... and a little sad as it's the finale. Oh well, reportedly an animated series in the vein of The Real Ghostbusters is in production. I hope it's good.

That leads us to spooky season talk. Halloween is around the corner and Code Orange is not only in effect, but has developed into a new form this year. In  addition to Code Orange, many of us have used the term Summerween to describe the early Halloween shopping that takes place in summer. Well, apparently companies have taken that to heart and have made Summerween an offical mini celebration! All sorts of summer themed spooky fun is available with jack o' lanterns carved from fruit, ghosts wearing sunglasses, festive summer colored skulls, and more! It's super fun and another chapter to the spooky season that's became part of summer in addition to fall. Here at Zone Base, I take credit for that partially as our official Halloween Party starts in August, which is the hottest month of summer. While this corresponds with Obon, Hungry Ghost festival, and the spooky summer activities throughout the word- I also can't wait for my favorite time of the year!

Thankfully with Code Orange and now Summerween, it's the perfect time for Zone Base's annual Pumpkin Spiced Mayhem to run wild. We've got one hell of a Halloween in store this year. I've got a bunch of cool Halloween posts to place in between regular content (which also will be extra spooky) for the entire 3 months of Zone Base Halloween. I hope you all enjoy it as I love doing it! Well, that's still a little off, but we've got an awesome July in store! Thank you all for reading Zone Base. I've got a fun week in mind for you all. Please don't forget to share with your friends and Mutual High Fives everyone!

Monday Burst

It's the start of an new week of robots, monsters, and misadventure here on Zone Base. I hope you all had a great weekend, mine was pretty good... and went by way too fast. The Mrs and I did our weekend shopping and even checked out some early Halloween stock in our local At Home and Cracker Barrel. We got some great spooky stuff and had a lot of fun. 

Ealier in the week my Godzilla Megatron came in and I didn't expect my happiness to be that high. I knew I had it on the way and that it was real. But actually holding it in my hand... wow. I'm not sure when the MechaGodzilla Optimus Prime will ship, I guess it's coming later as it doesn't look like anyone has gotten theirs yet either. Speaking of Godzilla, the Mrs picked me up some fun Godzilla stuff while on a shopping trip with her friend. She got me a bag full of Godzilla blind boxes and bags along with some Ultraman, Kamen Rider, Stranger Things, and Shin-Chan stuff. That was super nice of her while they were in Popmart heaven.

My local stores are still pretty barren. I've still not gotten the rest of the Turtles of Grayskull figures and that's causing me some distress. I really want to complete the line and feel so close to my goal. Not to mention,  not a single new Transformer in some time. I haven't gotten the Studio Series B-127 yet... and that's all they seem to have other than leftover TF One stock. It wouldn't be so bad if I wasn't anticipating Cyberworld so much. I really can't wait to get my hands on those! Considering the show is premiering July 12th, I'm hoping they'll be on shelves soon. I did order a case of Blokees. I sure do love them... I just wish they were easier to get!

July the 4th is Friday and I'm gearing up for the holiday weekend. It's going to be a short work week and probably a hard one too. I'm looking forward to the break though and getting some rest. Well, we've got a fun holiday week in store for you all. Thank you for reading Zone Base. I really appreciate your support and just ask that you share the site with your friends. Mutual High Fives everyone, let's get this Monday started!

Take Monday with You

It's Monday, dammit. Thankfully you've found yourself on Zone Base to get you through the week. My weekend was pretty good, even if short lived. Thankfully Memorial Day weekend is approaching for a much needed break. The Mrs and I enjoyed some weekend shopping and good food. I ate plenty of Sushi on Saturday as the Mrs and I watched the newest episode of 1000lbs Sisters and rented The Minecraft Movie on Amazon. I didn't think I'd enjoy it as much as I did. While I haven't played Minecraft in a while, but I've always enjoyed it. The movie, however, was hilarious and felt more like a Tenacious D episode than a video game adaptation. 

I intended to buy the new Doom game this weekend, but decided to hold off for a little while. I'm still playing though the 2016 Doom game I recently bought on sale. I really want the new game, but think I'll get it a little later. I found Turtles of Grayskull Mechaneck and ordered ZombieTrack from Amazon. Surprisingly, ZombieTrack came in within hours. I've been wanting him since announcement, but waiting for 52toys to stock him in the US Amazon shop. I generally get my BeastBox toys there or in person and have had great success. I think there's a fun monster robot week in Zone Base's future. Speaking of fun, Cyberworld toys are starting to materialize and I can't wait to cover them here on the site. They feel like the successor to the Beast Alliance figures that I loved so much and were so fun to blog about. Please look forward to upcoming posts about them as they become available to me. I spent Sunday evening playing Doom and building Blokees. Such a fun way to spend an evening. 

Speaking of fun, that's the kind of week I've got coming your way Zone Base readers. Thank you all for coming back for another week of robots, monsters, and misadventure! I hope everyone enjoys the content and hope you all share it with your friends! 

Smol Week, Big Smile

Another week is beginning here on Zone Base and with it robots, monsters, and misadventure! I'm sad to see the weekend end, but thankful to see you reading my nonsense. Not much really happened this weekend, spent time with the Mrs and played Kirby games. I should have worked on organizing toys... but ever just enjoy a lazy day? Maybe next weekend. I did find some toys on a shopping trip. Apparently my Walmart had gotten some Transformers One Blokees in during the week that had been cleared out by the time I got there. Fortunately, I found a lone box sitting on a shelf. Add that to the case of Galaxy Version Defender kits I ordered and I've got a whole lot of fun coming! The TF One kit was Orion Pax btw, I look forward to building him soon... and hopefully finding more. These little shits move fast!

I also picked up Age of the Primes Waspinator. The Mrs suprised me with Age of the Primes Slingshot and a Turtles of Grayskull Rattlor! The Reptile Wars have begun! Not to be outdone, the Mrs cooked a fantastic chicken dinner Sunday night that was enjoyed while we watched IF. Who'd of thought that would have been as good of a movie as it was? Well, I've got a fun little week in store for you all... we're going to focus on some smaller toys. I sure do love them and considering the site is named after a Micromaster base... it's time to get back to the little guys. Thank you all for reading Zone Base, please don't forget to share with your friends!

ToyLanta 2025!

It's that time of year again for the great toy show, ToyLanta! I've been looking forward to this all year! This years convention will be a new experience. New management and a partnership with Power-Con creating the Power-Up! area at the convention. The annual Transformers Panel will be returning this year hosted by Dusty and myself. As usual, I'll be updating the site daily with my adventures at the con and posting pics to my Instagram. Thank you all for reading and please don't forget to share with your friends!

Friday: After getting a late start and being stuck in traffic for too long, I arrived at the convention around 7pm. Found Shawn and went to get my badge. Registration had been going on for a little while, so luckily no one was in line ahead of me to pick up my passes. I got to meet the new management and Shawn gifted me with a 'There Goes My Money' tote bag he had made PBS style. I stuck it in my con bag knowing it's going to come in handy over the weekend.

We poked our heads inside the dealer space briefly before heading to the Power-Up! section to check out everything. I've always wanted to go to a Power-Con, so it was neat. While there we spoke with guys from various toy companies. I spent a good bit of time at the Man or Monster? booth talking Glyos with the guy behind Warlords of Wor. He had a great set up with plenty of great stuff on display and for sale. I'm definitely buying some stuff from him this weekend.

I was planning on waiting until Saturday to buy anything and just take in the sights Friday night until I saw a bin with MOTU Origins vehicles for $10 each. It was mostly Talon Fighters, which I already have. But then I saw a Road Ripper with Mechaneck, a set I missed out on at retail... so I bought it. The same dealer had a loose 3P Hubcap for $15, which I may grab later. Maybe.

We found another dealer with a great table full of Transformers, Gobots, Micronauts, and other similar toys. We ended up talking with him a bit before the show started closing down and we had to leave. I'm definitely buying from him this weekend, he had some great stuff. Around this time we ran into Jerry, who's always awesome. The convention is being held this year in a convention center instead of a hotel, so there was a different vibe all around. Feels like an expo, think I like that. However, as it was closing down, everyone had to leave. So we did. Shawn headed back to his hotel and I back home. The Mrs hasn't been feeling good had been busy wrapping presents for my birthday Sunday and ordered us some food. I last ate a Publix salad around 2:30pm and it's almost 11pm as I'm writing this... I'm freaking hungry. It's Steak 'n Shake, I love Steak 'n Shake.

Saturday: Traffic was much better and I arrived at the convention around 10am. I decided to buy that 3P (I think it's an Ocular Max) Hubcap and found Shawn. We roamed the main dealer room. I went back and forth on a few toys, but didn't buy much. I'll make a point to grab a few more Sunday. I did get a Zybot Bulldozer whose name escapes me. A lot of the toy companies had elaborate displays that we took in. They had some really cool prototypes out for show. One dealer had projections of their characters on a clear disk, which made them look like holograms in the middle of the air. There was several high end dealers with a lot of cool stuff. It's neat to look at. One had 4 vintage Fortress Maximus sealed in boxes. Wow. 

We ate lunch at the con center resturant, which served a variety of foods. I got a hamburger and fruit cup. The burger was ok, but really wish I'd gotten something else. While eating we got into a conversation with a fellow at a nearby table and chatted for awhile. Always great to make a new friend! Afterwards we headed back to the Power-Up area, ran across Jerry again (hi Jerry!), was given Star Wars posters, and took in some unofficial GIJOE figures. Brian showed up around this time which lead to Shawn giving us his custom toy show exclusive. A Beast Battlemaster of... me. He painted a Battlemaster Optimus Primal into me. I see the resemblance, it's getting paired with the custom Springer of me he made for sure.

We all roamed around, I introduced Brian to Glyos at the Warlords of Wor table. While there I bought a Bognar Monster with an additional accessory set that converts him into a serpentine sea monster. So awesome. Think I'll grab another kit from them Sunday. We then found some chairs and chatted for a while before Brian headed back to his hotel. Shawn and I went back into the main dealer hall where I found a dealer whom had 2 Blokees Galactic Defender kits. So I got those. Shortly before the room closed for the day, I picked up a Muffin from Bluey magnet for the Mrs. She loves her.

Shortly after Shawn left for his hotel room and I headed home. The Mrs had dinner from Longhorn Steakhouse waiting for me. A fruit and walnut salad, something I often get from there. It was just what I needed. That and some rest as I discovered just how tired I was after we got up from those chairs and that chat. I am beat. Tomorrow's the last day of this years show. I'm hoping to score some Sunday deals and hopefully have a good panel. ToyLanta has always been an awesome con, but it's become a very big deal and very large convention since last year. The new management have turned the little show into a large prestigious convention. It's wilds to see with my own eyes. It's time to get some rest, Sunday is a double feature day. It's both the last day of the show and my birthday. I'm going to be busy.

Sunday: Sunday was a lot of fun. Being my birthday, the Mrs made me breakfast and gave me a ton of presents. Transformers, BeastBox, Micronauts, Godzilla, and a new Galaxy Watch (with some accessories) was an amazing start to the day before arriving around 12pm. I remembered a dealer who had a SDCC ReAction Unicron for cheap and decided to drop by to hopefully still find it. Well, it was gone (more on that later) but I saw a ReAction Skeletor with Panthor set for $10. Ok, awesome, purchased. I found Shawn and showed him, took him back to the dealer, also found the He-Man and Battle Cat version for $10 and a box of Super7 MOTU keshi for $5. Amazing deals! 

We then found Mountain Town toys whom I look forward to seeing every year. Mountain Town gifted me one of his sasquatch keshi that they make while Shawn picked up some Micronauts. We walked around a while taking in the con and looking for Sunday deals. I almost bought a Microman Batman and a Micronauts Time Traveler, but decided against it. The Batman was from 2004, so I knew if had several broken parts already (that series was snake bit, I have a ton) so it wasn't worth his price. The Time Traveler was too expensive considering all of it's chrome was completely gone and the clear plastic was smokers house brown. 

I was actually bummed to not find and Rock Lords or Gobots this year as those are my Toylanta staples. I came close several times to buy some Missing Link Transformers, but decided to wait as they're readily available online. Shawn went to take a break and a panel while I browsed a little. I found my way back to that dealer whom had the ReAction Unicorn... and it was there! Somehow it had both Mandela Effected itself in and out of reality! I spoke with the dealer, whom was a cool dude before running into Craig. We talked for a bit and I took in one last walk around before finding a seat to take a break. That last look around was magic.

A booth that Shawn and I visited a million times over the weekend... I just popped in. They mostly had old west toys that was neat to look at, but not something I'd like to buy. I was looking and... hey... what's that? Behind a cowboy, shoved to the back... a robot head looked back at me. I looked between the toys and... there as a Gobots Grungy just standing there. Where was he all weekend? I asked for a price and he was only... $30. I think I caused a sonic boom whipping the cash out of my pocket and now am the owner of a mostly complete Grungy. He's only missing two small parts that I'll eventually replace through junkers and is in overall amazing shape. My last purchase was an amazing deal and an overall awesome find. It was then time for a break, so I found a seat by the con room and enjoyed some Cheeze-its. Around this time Dusty found me. We chatted a bit, he went to the nearby Starbucks and I resumed my snack. 

The Transformers panel was the last of the weekend and a nice end to an overall awesome convention. Considering the time frame, I was pleased to have a half full room. Folks came and gone, but by the end there was a few folks talking Transformers with Dusty and I. Unfortunately all good things must end and the show was over. I said my goodbyes to Dusty and Shawn before heading home to an amazing birthday dinner. The Mrs got me pizza, wings, and 3 different birthday cakes. I don't know what I ever done to deserve such an awesome wife. Having my favorite convention on my birthday weekend was a unique and incredible experience. I'm very fortunate to have a great life full of amazing people and experiences. I've got a perfect partner, the best friends and family a person could wish for, and get to have amazing experiences like ToyLanta where I can indulge in my hobbies and somehow each year be a completely different awesome story. Thank you all for reading Zone Base. I'm very fortunate to have such a great readership and appreciate you all very much.

Initializing New Week

It's time to get the week started Zone Base readers! I hope everyone had a great weekend, I sure did. To celebrate the Mrs's birthday, I took her shopping and we enjoyed dinner at Medieval Times. We got some fun stuff from Teso and Miniso and had an all around great time. We were exhausted Sunday, so it was spent napping, watching TV, playing video games, and enjoying chilli the Mrs made in the crock pot. 

I managed to get some great stuff. The Mrs picked up MOTU Origins Snake Face for me Friday. Saturday during our shopping trip, I got several Japanese Transformers school supplies. I also got some great Ultraman and Demon Slayer keshi. Godzilla and Ultraman sofubi was purchased (who would have thought Miniso sold kaiju toys?). I also picked up an SD Gundam model and Shin-Chan blind box.

We made a visit to the 52toys store where I bought some BeastBox toys and a Stranger Hands blind box. I got the vampire hand! I played some more of the Halloween game Sunday and as much as I enjoy it... that is one frustrating game. I was all too happy to buy it last October... but still am only halfway through thanks to getting angry and not playing for weeks. Speaking of Halloween, our first spooky season decorations were gifted to us during the week. Considering it's January, we're right on schedule! Well, it's time to get this new week started. I've got some fun posts headed your way! Thank you so much for reading, please be sure to share with your friends!

Michelangelo [Turtles of Grayskull]

Mikey may be a party dude with pizza on his mind, but he has a new purpose: be the Most Powerful Turtle in the Universe. He grabs a blonde wig and begins emulating Eternia’s greatest warrior, He-Man.

I've probably mentioned it before here on the site, but Michelangelo is my favorite of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I've also mentioned before that the late 80's/early 90's incarnation of TMNT is my favorite. That being said, my specifically favorite version of Michelangelo is perfect for an adventure on Eternia. Not because I particularly prefer him... he just fits. Perfectly.

After meeting the MOTU gang, Michelangelo decided he wanted to be just like He-Man. So here he is dressed just like him, yellow wig and all. Neatly enough, he kinda resembles Flying Fists He-Man in this armor (the colors are off, but the idea is there) and his nunchucks could be considered similar to the spinning weapons that version of He-Man used. Michelangelo's turtle shell can become a shield like all the other turtles, but I wish it had some sort of spinner on it as well. Just to play into that some more. There was the Rock 'N Roll Michelangelo figure from the original turtle line that had a spinning hand. Of course his nunchucks were the ideal weapon for that gimmick, but he also had a shield that worked well with it. That's where my mind is going with this guy. Of course the similarity might not have been intentional. Regardless, this is another excellent figure in an awesome line. The wig is removable in case that's too silly... but that's why I like it there.

Operation: New Week

Monday is attacking again signaling the beginning of a new week. Fortunately for you, Zone Base is here to defend you from click bait sites that will threaten your idle time! I hope you all had a great weekend, mine as pretty good. The Mrs and I went to Costco for Halloween candy.  I hope our trick or treaters are ready for the 10lbs of candy we bought! I always love a trip to Costco just for the food court, that's some seriously good pizza. We cleaned our garage and enjoyed an Olive Garden dinner Sunday with my Mom. I spent some hours with Astro Bot and am fully admitting to stretching out my time with it. I'm super close to beating it, but don't want to be finished with it. I'll probably still be playing it afterwards in hopes of reaching 100%. Of course I should revisit Astro Bot's Playroom and 100% it too. I love that little guy!

I got some cool toys too! Picked up some of the new blind box Godzilla figures by Funko. They have a fun cute sculpt that really gives them a fun charm. I got Ghidorah and the colored Godzilla (b&w is harder to find). Bandai sofubi Godzilla figures are being sold in the U.S again now that Playmates is seemingly going in a full Monsterverse action figure direction and I'm all for it. I'll take both! Sadly, Target hadn't gotten any in stock as of this weekend. I also ordered Star Raiders collection Filch. I will not be denied my Transformers Star Raiders dammit! Not to be left out, I picked up a Turtles of Grayskull Stealth Ninja Leonardo. I just need April O'Neil and Man at Arms to complete the series until the next wave. We're in the last days of Halloween and time to turn Pumpkin Spiced Mayhem up to 11 (million). I'll be sad to see spooky season ending, but New Future is on the way! Thank you all for reading Zone Base. I've got a fun week planned for you all, please look forward to it. Don't forget to share with your friends!

Terroar [Snake Men/Origins]

The Snake Men have always been an extra dangerous set of villains in Masters of the Universe. Hailing from earlier in history than the current problems with Skeletor, they are an ancient evil that pops up here and there. Origins is a really unique toy line. Full of homages to the past, but also with new characters that are made to fit in with classic MOTU lore. In recent months, Mattel has been creating new Snake Men much to fan and collector delight. They're really cool. We'll be looking at Terroar today as I love his freakishness. Mattel recognized MOTU fans tendency to make customized figures when developing Origins and engineered them with interchangeable joints from the start. Utilizing this, these new Snake Men figures are all made from existing parts with new colors. Repaints aren't new, but when done this way it's extra neat.

Terroar is made from the parts of Whiplash, Trap Jaw, Rattlor, and Mosquitor. Mostly Whiplash and Trap-Jaw which is more obvious, but the neck extension piece is from Rattlor and the boots are from Mosquitor. When parts from other figures are combined like this, it's often called 'Frankenstein-ing'. That term really fits Terroar as he looks like something from the Doctors lab. I like the idea of this weird reptilian warrior with cybernetic parts. He kinda of looks like a background character from a MOTU mini-comic. Just some freak soldier the artist got a little creative with, but he's got a bigger role in Lord Gr'Asp's (we'll get to him later) crew. The neck extension can be removed or added as you please for that striking snake look, and the weapons can be swapped out on his mechanical arm. I talk about monsters all year on this site (it's in the description), but this one seems perfect for Halloween. He's just so freaky and weird. It's great!

New Week Energy

Good morning Zone Base readers and welcome back for another week of robots, monsters, and misadventure! I hope everyone had a great weekend. Mine was good with a mixture of shopping and household work to be done. More Astro Bot was played, I've almost completed it sadly (I've only been playing on the weekends) untill the upcoming dlc brings more to the game. I really do love Astro Bot and wish I would have discovered him earlier! The Mrs and I enjoyed some Halloween fun and I had some great sushi! Sunday evening the Mrs made pizza and the new season of 1000lbs Sisters premiered! That show is so oddly addictive. 

As for toys I picked up Turtles of Grayskull Stealth Ninja He-Man and Jada Metalfig Optimus Primal. I had been convinced that he was purchased prior, but had been proven wrong! Not to mention a cool new fidget toy for my desk and a Star Wars Micro Galaxy Squadron blind box! Walmart still had no Star Raiders collection Transformers much to my chagrin. I ordered Road Pig in retaliation! They damn well stock the rest or... I'll order them too! We've got just under 3 weeks of Pumpkin Spiced Mayhem on the site, so let's make these last few weeks of Halloween count! I made a new backdrop for post spooky season pictures as well. The end of Halloween this year makes me sad, but I'm excited for things to come. I may not be a great blogger, but I try to be a decent one. Thank you all for reading Zone Base. I've got a great week planned for you all, please look forward to it. Don't forget to share with your friends!

Casey Jones [Turtles of Grayskull]

On earth, Casey fights baddies as a hockey-masked vigilante using the sports gear he can fit into his bag. Now, on Eternia, he loads up on Castle Grayskulls’ best battle gear to join the fight against evil.

I've always loved Casey Jones. One of the coolest characters in TMNT whose just a human who happens to be friends with the guys. He's romantically linked with April usually and generally something of a misfit. Casey Jones is a vigilante who attacks criminals in the streets with sports equipment and wearing an old hockey mask

Just some crazy punk rock badass fighting ninjas and aliens alongside a bunch of turtle mutants who were trained to be ninjas by a rat. I enjoy how that sentence is totally factual. Like the rest of the gang, Casey has ended up on Eternia and joins the fight against the Evil Warriors and Foot Clan. In all honesty, Casey already looks like a MOTU character, so he was an easy fit. There's some lateral moves to make it work and it does very well. Instead of his sneakers, he's got those furry boots. Some tights instead of sweat pants. The odd bits of football/soccer/hockey guards are swapped out for Eternian style armor.

The Jitsu glove cracks me up, I can see Casey picking up and immediately wanting to slap someone with it. He's stuck some spikes in his hockey stick and replaced his golf club bag with some sort of Eternian carrying case full of swords, spears, hammers, and axes. These aren't simple pick pockets he's about to beat the snot out of, it's the living Halloween decorations that populate Eternia. Just for good measure, time to swap out that old hockey mask for a gnarly metal face guard. You know, I clearly love a character in a hockey mask. Jason Vorhees, Rick from Splatterhouse, and Casey Jones. This is a great Casey figure that really fits the theme. I've loved all the Turtles of Grayskull line so far and have yet to get bored. It's so creative and fun, especially considering it's based on two series that are fairly old and seen plenty of revisions. Good job Mattel.

New Week Combine

Welcome to another week of robots, monsters, and misadventure here on Planet Zone! I hope everyone had a great weekend. Mine was pretty solid, played Astro Bot and enjoyed some good food. The Mrs made barbecue Sunday and we had Japanese Saturday night. Actually the Japanese ended up far more memorable than I expected. On the way home from weekend shopping, the Mrs and I placed a pick up order from a favorite local restaurant. Hibachi for her and sushi for me. There was a special for $3 off when a Coke was ordered, so I got a Coke Zero. When we picked up our order, included was a big to-go thing of soup. But it was no soup, it was my Coke Zero! They had filled one of those big to-go soup containers with soda! I used a knife to cut a hole in the top and inserted a straw. Hell yeah I drank out of it!

As for toys, Walmart still hasn't stocked the deluxe Star Raiders collection. In fact mine seemingly hasn't stocked in a few weeks. Not to worry, I ordered a BeastBox! In addition, earlier in the week the Mrs and I exchanged out Halloween presents. We always do it early in the month as to enjoy the stuff during the season. She got me a great pair skeleton Hey Dudes (my favorite brand of shoes), Turtles of Grayskull Skeletor (he matches the shoes!), and this years Droid Factory Halloween Droid! Spooky fun! Halloween fun was had all weekend. Speaking of, I hope you all are enjoying the Pumpkin Spiced Mayhem. We've got a few more weeks of the Halloween party left in 2024, so let's see it out with a bang! I've got a fun week of content for you this week, please look forward to it! Thank you all for reading Zone Base and don't forget to share with your friends!

Mer-Man [Turtles of Grayskull]

The Ocean Warlord heeded Skeletor's beckoning from Snake Mountain at his own peril. The two always held an uneasy alliance, but Mer-Man did not suspect that he was walking into a trap. He was taken by an alien called Krang, covered in Mutagen, and awoke forever changed in both his mind and body.

I've been saying this entire time that Turtles of Grayskull feels like a designer toy line and nothing is a better example of it than Mer-Man. I am not a professional photographer, so hopefully the picks can come close to just how cool this toy is. Freaky sculpted detail and colors brings this classic character to life in an all new way. Mer-Man has been mutated and is even more monstrous now.

You can swap out his traditional legs for a fish tail for a more... mer-person... appearance. Just LOOK at this thing! A small detail that really blows my mind is the use of translucent plastic. It's not just really pretty, but makes Mer-Man look like he's from the deep dark ocean. Speaking of, they've given him a Angler Fish flavored mutation. Which just makes him look even scarier. In addition to the freaky looks, he's carrying a trident and a gnarly take on his classic sword for battle. Both weapons are super fitting. It's really hard not to be enamored with this toy. The Creature from the Black Lagoon is one of my all time favorite monsters, which makes me appreciate Mer-Man as is. However, the new mutated version of him is AWESOME. Dang, Angler Fish are scary.

Wind-Up the Week

Monday has risen from it's grave cursing us with another work week. Hopefully Zone Base can help chase away those responsibilities with another week of robots, monsters, and misadventure! I hope everyone had a great weekend, mine was a bit of a blur. Thursday there was a hurricane that led to several trees falling in our backyard a little too close for comfort. We ended up staying at a hotel to ride out the storm. Everything was safe when we got back thankfully, but what a random mid-week adventure. I spent the weekend mostly around the house afterwards.

I stayed up all night Saturday assembling a new shoe rack for the Mrs and spent a good bit of time decorating the yard for Halloween Sunday. The inside of the house has been decorated since Labor Day, but we generally let it get closer to the holiday for the yard. A shopping trip lead to Terroar from MOTU and a Core Class Nemesis Prime. Both are figures I'd missed out on prior and happy to get. I also downloaded the Transformers DLC for Minecraft. It's pretty fun, but to be honest, I've been so focused on Astro Bot that playing anything else has taken a back seat for the time being. I'll put some time into it this week though. I really appreciate how similar it is to the G1 cartoon (within reason). It's been a long time since I've played Minecraft, so the controls are taking a little time to get familiar with again. 

We've got another month of the Halloween party to go and I hope everyone is having fun. I'm personally a little disappointed that it's almost over. I love this so much! Thank you all for celebrating Halloween with me! We're going to make this last month one for the record books and really blow the spooky season out! I have a fun week of content coming, please look forward to it. Thank you all for reading. Please share the site with your friends!

Hordak [Turtles of Grayskull]

While Skeletor pouted over He-Man, Hordak plotted from afar, using his new minion Shredder, to infiltrate Snake Mountain. When the time is right, Hordak will strike, and all of Eternia will be his!

Being one of the big baddies of Masters of the Universe, it's not to any surprise that Hordak has made an appearance in Turtles of Grayskull. Being that it's Hordak, there's a twist! He's been secretly working with The Shredder under Skeletor's nose for an eventual swerve! Well... where a nose would be... Anyway Hordak makes an awesome appearance. I've made my affection for the Slime Pit known in the past, so it's to no surprising how excited I am to see TMNT worked into it. Hordak now runs the Ooze Pit dealing with Mutagen! He even has a Mutagen sprayer equipped to spew the potentially toxic stuff whenever the mood strikes! However, the leader of The Evil Horde mutated himself a little too. Those trademark bat Evil Horde symbols now extend to a pair of articulated bat wings sprouting from his back! Hordak is now the embodiment of that symbol! Like all Origins figures there's plenty of articulation that works well here. This is another solid figure in this awesome line... hey... now it makes sense as to why The Shredder came with that Horde style crossbow!

Splinter-Skull [Turtles of Grayskull]

Master Splinter followed the call of the Turtles to Eternia and appeared at Castle Grayskull as the spiritual embodiment of the Power of Grayskull itself.

I think that scene in the original TMNT movie where Splinter appears to the guys as a vision through meditation stays with everyone who've seen it. Using those same abilities, Splinter travels to Eternia and his ethereal form is a hybrid of himself and King Grayskull! This figure is a great way to work Splinter into the MOTU. Splinter-Skull is a very neat looking and very buff rat mutant wearing King Grayskull's outfit. I'm not sure just how much of this toy is reused parts, though the chest armor is certainly from the Origins version of King Grayskull and maybe 2002 He-Man.

His staff/spear is a cool mixture of walking stick and removable Power Sword. I really like the slightly translucent blues of the sword tip... it looks like a mint candy. Splinter features a tail that can articulate at the base and a really near head sculpt. I really appreciate the braids. Frankly, they look so at home on Splinter that I wish future figures of him would have them. He comes with an additional open palmed hand and a really neat cape. I'd like to think one could put him in some really neat mystical poses using those. Splinter-Skull is another Turtles of Grayskull figure that feels like it should be a higher priced boutique item.

Goodbye Weekend, Hello Evangelion

Monday has risen from it's grave and the curse of another work week begins. Luckily you have a fun week of Zone Base ahead of you! I got a lot of rest this weekend when I wasn't playing Astro Bot. The Mrs made a spaghetti dinner Sunday night and a Saturday shopping trip was had with my Mom riding along! As for toys, I picked up some neat Halloween 2 vinyl figures at Five Below and Turtles of Grayskull Michaelangelo at Target. Walmart finally had at least one Transformers Star Raiders collection toy, so now I have Ferak! So happy, I love his deco. I was going to do a BeastBox order, but fell asleep watching Universal Studios Japan Halloween videos. So, guess that'll be some BeastBoxes ordered this week! Speaking of Halloween, I hope you all are enjoying the spooky season here on the site. I'll hopefully have a new episode of Transform Squadron ready soon! I have plans to record today, but have to run an errand first. I've got a slightly busy Monday ahead of me and I'm sure you do too! Thank you all for reading Zone Base. Please remember to share it with your friends!

Beast Man [Turtles of Grayskull]

Beast Man did not trust the alien outsiders. Rather than become Krang's next mutated experiment, Beast Man escaped to strike a bargain with He-Man. What he found instead left him shell-shocked.

Beast Man is one of the classic MOTU characters that no series feels complete without. So of course he makes a showing in Turtles of Grayskull, but a rather unique one. Beast Man, who isn't feeling like the Foot Clan and their Mutagen are the best idea, isn't mutated like the other Evil Warriors. However, Beast Man has taken up the ways of the Samurai as his cool new armor would imply. This figure is a straight forward reprint of the Origins Beast Man toy with the additional armor and weapon.

Every toy line has cost saving figures and this is one of them. Fortunately the Origins Beast Man is an all around solid toy and the new stuff included makes for a nice cherry on the top. Replacing his trademark bullwhip whip is a cool new razor chain whip. Clearly taming the animals under his control inst Beast Man's focal point at the moment. The Samurai armor fits neatly over the figure, though I found the helmet to be a little loose. Not a deal breaker, but I'd prefer a slightly better fit. Beast Man is also carrying a turtle shell shield which keeps him matching the other figures (Teela comes with a similar one) and the theme. I did notice some official stock photos displaying a different shield instead of the one that comes included. I don't know if that was a running change or a variant. Fans in MOTU groups haven't pointed it out to my knowledge, so it may be the former. This is a fun figure of a classic character. He has a more simple approach to the theme and that's ok, because it still works. The gold armor contrasts nicely with his oranges and reds. Frankly, I think the whole looks suits him really well.